Roasted Beet and Candied Pecan Salad

I had a salad similar to this at the Delux Burger Bar on the west end (Restaurant Review in a Minute: The food was good but overpriced, the decor was minimal but tacky, the service was friendly but the polo shirt uniforms were off-putting). Having decided not to put the restaurant in my regular rotation, I still wanted to have the salad again, so here is my version. I made it for Mother’s Day this year and it was a big hit.

P.S. I’ve decided that after today, I’m going to start posting every other day rather than every day. I think that this will be better for me and for you, but please feel free to leave me a comment if you disagree.

Preheat oven to 450F. Cut the beets into ½-inch dice and put them in an 8-inch baking pan. Pour oil, salt and cumin over them and coat to toss. Roast the beets for 30 minutes, turning once during the process. Cool and set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet. Heat the butter or margarine over medium high heat. Add the pecans and sauté until fragrant and toasty, about five minutes. Add the brown sugar and heat until it absorbs the oil and sticks to the pecans. Stir constantly throughout this process. Cool and set aside.

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*All entries tagged "vegan" and "gluten free" meet those dietary requirements to the best of my knowledge as long as the vegan or gluten free instructions are followed (where applicable). It is always wise to double-check ingredients (especially when dealing with packaged foods) and to confirm ingredients and preparation methods at restaurants.